Sometimes people ask what it was like growing up in a large family. I always answer that it was great because our parents, either by choice or necessity, allowed us to be free-range children, which is one step above feral ones. This freedom allowed us to learn much by exploring, making mistakes, and problem-solving. Of course, there were limits to that freedom. If one of us had a really bad or dangerous idea, mom or dad would step in. But for the most part they showed a remarkable amount of restraint as we children offered thoughts and plans we believed to be quite wise, most of which were shown to be rather foolish.
One instance of problem solving I remember involved the exhaust on my dad’s car. The pipe had rusted out and if you’ve ever heard a car without a muffler, you know it needed to be repaired. I was sure I could fix it. My first attempt was to wrap an old cotton diaper around the broken ends of the pipe and join them together with duct tape. It actually worked for about 10 miles until the diaper caught on fire and burned off. Numerous other attempts were made with creative materials but the eventual fix was a tomato paste can which was the perfect size and two radiator clamps.
To this day I am a firm believer in creative problem solving and hold that most broken things can be repaired with either duct tape, gorilla glue, zip ties or a combination of all three. But the process of solving problems has to follow certain rules and limits. We had to run things by mom and dad first and they would let us know if our idea was ok to try or might lead to destruction of life and property. Some things would never work no matter how many different ways we tried it. Oftentimes there was a very fine line between a brilliant solution and stubborn foolishness.
Apply this truth to the spiritual realm. In the first reading, Jeremiah says, "Cursed be he who trusts in human beings." At first glance that seems a little harsh. Is he suggesting that be suspicious of everyone? Of course not! Jeremiah is not talking about the trust we have to have in each other in order to function in healthy families and communities. Rather, he is reminding us that it is impossible to address the problems of our families, our nation, and our world if our lives and our solutions do not have God as their foundation and goal.
Jeremiah’s audience had some serious issues that needed fixing. Their kingdom was besieged by the Babylonians, who were far stronger and more ruthless than Israel. The king kept trying to find salvation with worldly wisdom. He was willing to make a deal with the devil to try and buy peace. Again and again God spoke through his prophets that the resolution would come only through fidelity to the covenant; following his rules and trusting in Him. The Israelites could not solve their problems on their own. If they operated on their own wisdom, disaster would follow. Sadly, that’s exactly what happened.
The sobering, humbling truth that we cannot solve our own problems apart from God, is a message we still need to hear. There are many good people in our world who are determined to fix the ills of humanity. This is a wonderful intention and a noble goal. However, many of these same people think we can do it by trusting completely in our own cleverness and technology. This does not work. Think about the last century.
The twentieth century began with the most terrible war humanity had ever endured. It is thought that nearly 40 million people were killed or wounded as a result of World War I. In 1919, after the war ended, the victorious nations gathered in Versailles to formulate a treaty which, they said, would guarantee this kind of war would never happen again. When the treaty was signed, Pope Benedict XV warned that the treaty and the peace was doomed to fail because there was no mention of God. There was no reference of eternal, spiritual values. The treaty relied completely on mankind's ability to restore peace to the world. The Pope, we know now, was correct. Within twenty years the world was engaged in an even worse conflict, World War II. Ultimate reliance upon human capabilities is a sham. It didn't work for the people of Jeremiah's day. It didn't work after World War I. It won't work today. The one lesson we need to learn from history is that our only true hope must be in God. Faith and trust in him must be the starting point as we creatively work to address the problems around us.
Christians are called to be problem-solvers. We cannot be satisfied to put our heads in the sand or circle the wagons and just take care of our own. God wants to use our minds, our gifts, our creative perspectives to help solve the many things that burden ourselves and others. He does not want us to be helpless or hopeless in the face of what sometimes appear to be insurmountable challenges.
And boy aren’t there a lot of them! Of course there are the usual suspects like illness, hunger, poverty, persecution, racism, and division. But there is also a growing despair and emptiness in our young people, the breakup of marriages and families, disrespect for human life, broken trust in our Church, and so many others.
We can’t let these things get us down, as serious as they are. God has proven to us that he cares about our world and our problems through the life and death of his Son. He continues to send leaders and prophets to guide us. We cannot stop working to solve the ills of society but we must always consult the One who made us and who knows better than we know ourselves. He will keep us from falling in love with our own ideas, becoming stubbornly foolish, and adopting solutions that ultimately harm us.
Today’s Scriptures challenge us to reflect on several fundamental questions. 1) In whom or what do I place my trust when I face challenges and setbacks? Is it God, —- myself, —— another human, or even material things? 2) Have I considered inviting God into the problems that affect me and the people I care about? Am I willing to trust his Wisdom over mine and open to pursuing the path He indicates for me through Scripture and teaching of our Faith?
Todays readings promise many blessings for the person who does one thing: trust in the Lord above else. May we follow that advice and always place our hope in God who is our solution for every problem and source of all blessings!
